b'Education matters experience and specific training to doEducation is designed to provide theknowledges role in this world and things. The biggest skill is the abilityfundamental basics or set of skills. So,helps put pieces of the puzzle into the to look at things from a different angleits like having a box of very differentright place.and try to see not just a tiny piece oftools, a good understanding of when work but where this piece of the puzzleyou need to use which tool, and how toIn terms of training, you must have belongs. And sometimes what you seeuse it properly. Even more, it providesbasic lab skills. Students should have as a small piece of work may grow (if youthe skills to create the new tools thatexperience working in the lab; they turn it properly) into something muchare required. If you are trained, you useneed to have experience working with bigger than it was initially designed for.the existing specialised tools to do yourvarious pieces of equipment, not to When life influences you to make manyjob. If you were educated, you couldbe afraid of it, and understand it. They career changes, not changes in yourchoose the tools that were designedmust be taught not only how to press professional occupation, but changes infor different areas and apply them tothe buttons and rotate the knobs while your subjects, it teaches you to adapt.where they actually, you think, can bestworking with an electron microscope, You learn to adapt quickly to changessolve your problem or create yet anotherbut also to understand what type of and have a broader view of things. Andnew tool. Tertiary education shouldinformation they are getting from this then, you can take some methods andprovide graduates with a high degree ofand other analytical equipment. So, its a toolboxes you used in one area andadaptability and a solid basis for buildingcombination of training and Education bring them to another. Its significantlyany modular construction that particularthrough practical work, not just acquiring widening your horizon. David Hilbertpurposes require. theoretical knowledge or mechanically said: Some people have got a mentalmemorising procedures.horizon of radius zero and call it theirMP: From your point of view, what point of view. Im trying to keep asubjects should we study at universities to provide Education with a capital E? a philosophical conflict: the horizon, but sometimes you need todifference between education focus on a point of view. So, its all aboutNK: Firstly, Education is not in balance. competition with training. We mustand training and what is the right have a bit of both. It has to be balancedbalance.government and companiesbecause if you have a person with plenty of fundamental knowledge but withoutAnother aspect the students must expecttertiary education toelementary skills - this person wouldappreciate to connect science with provide a qualified workforce not be capable of doing a job. So, it hasindustry is the scale of things. For the right people at the right timeto be some certain degree of training.example, if students will be working in Therefore, you need more than justenergy space, there are at least three with the right tools. Education or training. places they have to visit: the coal-fired power plant (I know it sounds a bit out of MP: From your point of view, whatIn terms of the subjects, in the STEMfashion), the refinery, and the open-cut do governmental institutions andarea, we have to have a solid basis inmine. And the reason to see those things companies expect nowadays fromfundamentals like maths. You have tois to understand the actual volumes the tertiary education? How do they see theirhave good maths because its moreindustry is dealing with. So, even if youre fresh blood? than just a universal tool. Its a subjectplanning your career as purely academic, that disciplines your mind and youryou still should have this contact with NK: Its not just the energy landscapelearning process. Then you have toindustry. Are four years for a bachelors changing. All the technologies areprovide fundamental physics anddegree enough to teach all these changing. Were going through a digitalchemistry courses, which should becourses and provide these experiences? revolution. One of the things that themore than just chemistry or physics forI dont know. It is for education system government and companies expectengineers. It has to be done in a veryprofessionals to balance what they from universities is tertiary educationsolid way, starting with fundamentals.offer. Once the students have those that provides a qualified workforceThen you have to teach theessential tools and fundamental training,the right people at the right timefundamentals of computer science andthen specialised courses should be with the right tools. What are the rightbasic principles of informatics, not justprovided. IMHO, students should not tools in this changing environment?the various programming languagesenrol in specialised courses straight Previously, there was a concept thatand platforms, which is a part offrom the beginning as they dont have when they graduated, students wouldtraining. But what is information? Howenough fundamental knowledge to have enough experience, at least, todo you deal with information? Whatunderstand them. But once they have start working in the field and must beare signal and noise, and uncertainty?the foundation, they might enrol in reasonably well trained. This results inIn our world, when we are overloadedspecialised courses and have a much a conundrum in tertiary education, awith information, understanding databetter understanding of why things are philosophical conflict: the differenceanalysis is crucial, and we probablydone this way. In the future, they can between education and training andneed to introduce new subjects in thiseasily apply the skills if they need to what is the right balance. Training isdomain. Then we have to teach thechange their specialisation.when you provide and train someone tofundamentals of social science. It would do particular things. Training works veryhelp if students learnt the basics ofMP: What about even broader subjects well when the changes in technologyphilosophy, history, political economy,like philosophy, literature, and fine take time, and we have enough time toand probably the introduction toarts? To what extent are these subjects do real training. But today, everything ispsychology. Such Education providesrelevant for people responsible for the changing. a holistic view and understanding ofenergy transition?FEBRUARY 2023 PREVIEW 40'